Honey and sugar are both sweeteners, but they have some key differences when it comes to nutrition and effects on weight loss. Here are quick answers to some common questions about how honey and sugar compare:
Is honey lower in calories than sugar?
Yes, honey has slightly fewer calories than white sugar. One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, while one tablespoon of granulated white sugar has 48 calories (1, 2). However, the difference is small enough that substituting honey for sugar won’t lead to a big reduction in calorie intake.
Does honey have a lower glycemic index than sugar?
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Honey has a lower GI, meaning it raises blood sugar more gradually than regular sugar. The GI of honey is around 55, while regular sugar is 65 (3, 4). The slower blood sugar rise may provide some benefits for appetite and weight control.
Is honey higher in nutrients than sugar?
Yes, honey contains small amounts of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes. Meanwhile, sugar contains no nutrients (1, 5). The nutrients in honey may provide some health benefits, but not in large enough amounts to significantly affect weight loss.
Can honey promote feelings of fullness?
Some research indicates honey may promote release of satiety hormones like peptide YY and promote feelings of fullness more than sugar (6). This may help with reducing calorie intake. However, more research is needed to confirm this effect.
Does honey have antibacterial properties?
Yes, honey has antibacterial effects due to its acidic pH and hydrogen peroxide content (7). Some researchers believe its antibacterial effects may support gut health and digestion. However, there is limited evidence directly tying this to weight loss.
Calories and Nutrition in Honey vs Sugar
Honey and sugar have relatively similar calorie contents, but honey contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals while sugar has none.
Here is a comparison of the calories and nutrition in one tablespoon (21 grams) of honey versus granulated white sugar (1, 2):
| Nutrient | Honey | Sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 64 | 48 |
| Total Carbs | 17 grams | 12.6 grams |
| Sugars | 17 grams | 12.6 grams |
| Fiber | 0 grams | 0 grams |
| Protein | 0 grams | 0 grams |
| Vitamin C | 0.5 mg | 0 mg |
| Calcium | 6 mg | 1 mg |
| Iron | 0.42 mg | 0 mg |
| Potassium | 24 mg | 2 mg |
As you can see, one tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories, compared to 48 calories in sugar.
So honey has slightly more calories by weight than sugar. However, the 17 grams of carbs and 17 grams of sugar are nearly identical.
The main nutritional advantage of honey is that it contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium. Meanwhile, white sugar is completely devoid of nutrients.
However, the amounts of these vitamins and minerals in honey are not high enough to significantly impact your daily nutrition intake.
For example, the 0.5 mg vitamin C in honey makes up just 1% of your daily vitamin C needs (8). And the 6 mg calcium makes up less than 1% of your daily calcium requirements.
So ultimately, while honey contains traces of some vitamins and minerals, it should not be considered a good source of these nutrients. Its nutrition profile is still very similar to white sugar.
Glycemic Index of Honey vs Sugar
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly a food causes an increase in your blood sugar levels. It is measured on a scale of 0–100.
Foods are classified as low (under 55), medium (56–69), or high (over 70) GI foods.
Honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar, meaning it causes a slower rise in blood sugar. Here are the typical GI values for each sweetener (3, 4):
– Honey: GI of 55 (low glycemic index)
– Granulated white sugar: GI of 65 (medium glycemic index)
The slower absorption of honey compared to sugar may provide some beneficial effects related to appetite control, reduced food intake and weight management.
In one study, 14 healthy adults consumed a meal containing either honey, sugar or artificial sweetener (9). Honey resulted in lower blood sugar and insulin levels compared to regular sugar, despite being included in meals of equal calorie content.
These effects on blood sugar regulation may be advantageous for weight management—especially for people with diabetes.
However, keep in mind that the GI is not the only factor determining how healthy a food is overall. The GI doesn’t account for the calories, portion size or nutritional value.
Therefore, using honey instead of sugar may provide some benefits related to blood sugar control and satiety. But it will only lead to weight loss if it is used to replace higher calorie sweeteners and reduces your overall calorie intake.
Honey May Lessen Sugar Cravings
There is some evidence that using honey instead of sugar may lessen cravings for sugary foods.
In one study, 105 subjects consumed honey, sugar or no sweetener for 14 days (10). The honey group experienced lower desire and liking for sweet foods compared to sugar and no sweetener groups.
The researchers speculated this effect may be due to honey’s ability to activate areas of the brain involved in food reward and evaluation.
In another controlled study, eating bread with honey instead of sugar resulted in decreased blood sugar and insulin responses after a meal (11).
These effects on blood sugar regulation may reduce cravings and overeating later on. However, more research is needed.
Animal studies also support the potential effects of honey. In two rat studies, honey consumption resulted in lower food intake compared to sugar and reduced body weight gain (12, 13).
Overall, early research indicates honey may lessen cravings for sweets and reduce sugar intake compared to regular sugar. This may be helpful for managing food cravings when trying to lose weight.
However, more high-quality studies are needed, especially in humans.
Honey May Support Gut Health
Some people claim that honey promotes digestive health and weight management by supporting the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
Honey has several properties that make it antimicrobial, including its acidic pH, hydrogen peroxide generation, and components like methylglyoxal (7).
Test-tube studies have shown that honey can inhibit the growth of many types of bacteria, including some pathogenic strains (14).
One lab study also found that certain types of honey worked as well as antibiotics against E. coli and salmonella bacteria (15).
However, there is limited research directly evaluating honey’s effects on the growth of probiotics or gut bacteria in humans.
One small study had subjects chew on a honey-sweetened xylitol gum for 10 minutes daily over 14 days (16). The honey-xylitol gum promoted increased growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium strains of beneficial gut bacteria.
More studies are needed to determine if honey supports the growth of probiotics and gut bacteria in a way that provides health benefits—especially regarding weight management.
At this point, more research is needed on honey and gut health. The current evidence is promising but limited.
Which Has More Benefits for Weight Loss?
Based on the current evidence, honey does not clearly promote more weight loss than sugar overall.
However, there are a few potential benefits of using honey instead of sugar:
– Honey may lessen cravings for sweets and reduce sugar intake compared to sugar.
– Honey may support blood sugar regulation due to its lower glycemic index.
– Honey contains traces of nutrients like vitamins and antioxidants, while sugar has none.
– Honey may support gut health, although more human research is needed.
Therefore, including honey instead of sugar may benefit weight management in some people—especially those with diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
However, at the end of the day, both honey and sugar are high-calorie sweeteners with a very similar nutrition profile. Using honey likely won’t lead to dramatic weight loss.
For real weight loss benefits, focus first on reducing your overall calorie intake by decreasing portion sizes, limiting snacking and skipping caloric beverages. Then if you want to substitute honey for sugar, you can experiment to see if it helps control your food cravings.
But don’t use honey to justify eating larger portions. And measure with a spoon instead of pouring from the bottle directly, so you don’t accidentally overeat honey’s calories.
Precautions with Honey
Honey is a healthy alternative to sugar for some people. However, there are a few precautions to consider as well:
– Honey should not be given to infants under one year of age due to risk of infant botulism, a type of food poisoning (17).
– People with diabetes should monitor blood sugar carefully if using honey as a sweetener due to variability in its glycemic index (18).
– Honey contains trace amounts of toxins from certain plants bees collect nectar from. This is not harmful for most people but recommend consulting a healthcare provider if pregnant or breastfeeding (19).
– Honey produced from the nectar of Rhododendrons contains grayanotoxin and can cause toxicity if consumed in excess (20).
– Those allergic or sensitive to bee pollen or bee stings may react to honey. Use caution when first trying it.
– Honey is still a source of sugar and calories, so portion control is key. Excess intake can contribute to weight gain.
So most healthy adults can safely incorporate honey into the diet. But certain groups like infants, pregnant women and diabetics should take precautions and monitor intake.
Conclusion
Honey and sugar have a similar calorie content and nutrition profile. So using honey in place of sugar won’t cause major differences in weight.
However, honey has a lower glycemic index, may support blood sugar control, contains traces of nutrients and may promote gut health. These properties mean using honey instead of sugar may benefit weight management in some ways.
The average person trying to lose weight can experiment with using honey instead of sugar. But honey should not be viewed as a magic bullet for weight loss. Pay attention to your overall calorie intake, get regular exercise and focus on an overall healthy diet if you want to lose weight.
